Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Mar 29
Dear Beloved,
How are your hearts, minds, bodies, and souls as we move towards Holy week - a week that can be filled with many emotions - remembering the way Jesus was welcomed by some into Jerusalem with branches waving and Hosannas singing, how he broke bread and washed feet, how he was betrayed and abandoned by dear friends and crowds of followers, how he suffered, died, and was buried…. In this season more than any other year I have felt held by the great cloud of witnesses in all my emotions of life this winter. As I approach this holy week with openness, I give thanks for the saints of past and present of Salem UCC in Toledo, Ohio, including my mom and dad who will always be my first pastor and teachers, who shaped my early faith formations in a way that made holy week so very sacred and special. Words of gratitude are not enough, but I offer them with prayers of love and thanksgiving, and I invite you to reach out and thank someone who has encouraged you at some point in your lifetime - a teacher, friend, family member, mentor, coach, colleague, classmate, author, artist, counselor, student… May you know you are not alone in whatever emotions you bring to Holy week and/or experience during Holy week. God is with us in it all. We are with each other. May you feel the peace and grace of our Creator, Redeemer, and Guide this Holy week and as we seek to live in the loving ways of Jesus, so that all may know they are beloved children of God.
With gratitude,
Sarah
Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
